In the oil and gas industry, liquids frequently load up (i.e., collect) in a vertical wellbore or inclined or other horizontal conduits. Liquids that cause load up may be water, oil or other hydrocarbons, or a combination thereof. Liquid loading adds backpressure to an oil and gas reservoir. This additional back pressure restricts gas and/or oil production and often reduces the production efficiency to the point where the wells are no longer economically viable. and/or oil production and often reduces the production efficiency to the point where the wells are no longer economically viable.
Additionally, multi-phase (e.g., gas and liquid) pipe flow requires additional gas velocity or pressure to continuously transport the heavier liquid phase. This often results in liquids falling back downhole, or simply not moving at all, resulting in loading up in a vertical wellbore. In horizontal pipe applications, liquids become stagnant and reduce the effective inner diameter of pipe. These stagnant liquids may then also become a source for severe pipe corrosion or pipe freezing.
Many types of ‘artificial lift’ technology have been developed to combat this fundamental oil and gas production problem. Rod pumps, plunger lift systems, electronic submersible sumps, progressive cavity pumps, pigging, and soap strings are just a few of the methods currently utilized to remove liquids from the wellbore.
Known systems and methods for improving gas or oil production have many disadvantages, however. In particular, many techniques for achieving even a marginal increase in production require additional production and operation costs. In many cases, the increase in production would be outweighed by the added production costs. Thus, many known methods for increasing production do not increase production efficiency, and thus, are not economically viable.
Better techniques are needed for increasing the production efficiency of the transport of fluids, such as oil and/or gas, through a conduit.